The number of people aged 60 and above is expected to reach 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2 billion in 2050— with the majority living in low- and middle-income countries. Photo: UNDP Asia Pacific

Every year on 1 October, the United Nations observes the International Day of Older Persons. This year the Day is devoted to taking a stand against ageism, the systemic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are considered old. Fortunately, with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, the invisibility of older persons in international development programmes and policies is finally being addressed. Although the international community officially recognized the harmful consequences of ageism as a matter of human rights in 2014, the Millennium Development Goals made no mention of older persons or population ageing. It has only been through the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda’s commitment to “leave no one behind” that older persons have been explicitly included in global development policy agreed to by all Member States. Why the shift? Demographics alone warrant increased attention to ageing populations. The number of people aged 60 and above is expected to reach 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2 billion in 2050— with the majority living in low- and middle-income countries. Gender equality goals, in SDG 5 and integrated throughout the 2030 Agenda, also compel us to finally recognize and remedy the scope of gender disparities throughout the
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To promote inclusive and sustainable growth, international public investment should support small and medium businesses. Photo: Aude Rossignol/UNDP Burundi

The ambitious global commitment to pursue inclusive and sustainable paths of development – outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – comes at a moment that does not admit any further delay. The economic, environmental and social challenges we face are enormous and must be addressed today, before climate change, demographic pressures, fragile security situations and other unsustainable global trends take their unbearable toll on all of us. At the same time, this agenda unveils a new set of opportunities for investments to yield unprecedented levels of economic and social dividends, provided that the appropriate co-ordination mechanisms and instruments are put in place. This means rethinking the role of official development assistance (ODA) to increase its efficiency and impact as an international public investment tool. It means making it more co-ordinated, catalytic and targeted as an instrument for attracting additional public and private investments for the transformation we all strive to achieve. Public finance will need to focus on initiatives that can drive progress on the SDGs, bringing into play the necessary industries – with their investments and their knowledge – thus generating a virtuous circle of further investment, innovation, structural transformation and technological upgrades. Driving the structural transformation required
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Like many Small Island Developing States, Trinidad and Tobago is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels and more frequent flooding. UNDP photo

In this blog series, UNDP experts share their perspectives in the lead-up to the next climate summit, COP22, taking place in November in Marrakech, Morocco. I was in Trinidad and Tobago recently as the country was gearing up for Carnival 2016. While I would have loved to be there to celebrate, my focus was on the country’s climate commitments and supporting the Government to develop a NAMA. What exactly is a NAMA? NAMAs, or Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions, are the projects that countries undertake to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG). This can include efforts to scale up markets for renewable energy products like solar home systems or to improve energy efficiency in buildings, which are responsible for about one-third of all global GHG emissions. As the Paris Agreement includes commitments from each country, NAMAs serve as a vehicle to help further these objectives. Identifying and agreeing on what areas to reduce GHGs requires a great deal of planning. As it is, many countries face the challenge of having multiple competing – and complementary – project ideas for emission reduction. The foundation of a good decision-making process is therefore to have a sound strategy in place for comparing and prioritizing project alternatives. The
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Planting trees is one way to counter the effects of climate change. Photo: Aaron Nsavyimana/UNDP Burundi

It is estimated that US$16 trillion is required to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, the so-called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This is money that will help to put countries on a low carbon path. Where this money will come from, however, has long been a source of debate. Yet, it seems that we may finally be putting in place the instruments we need to finance our low carbon future. A single mechanism for investing in low carbon development is ineffective, as it does not reflect contextual realities or the priorities of varying stakholders, such as the private sector. What is needed are parallel and complementary mechanisms that support countries at different levels of development. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has boosted private investment in mitigation projects in developing countries. With more than 8,000 projects registered, the CDM has leveraged almost US$ 200 billion of investments in developing countries. This mechanism has, therefore, been a key driver in the effort to reduce emissions and tackle climate change in developing countries. But not all regions and countries of the world were able to benefit equally from CDM. Few Least Developed Countries, notably those in sub-Saharan Africa, participated in the CDM, leaving
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